Warp frame having a device for recharging during operation



M. STEIN El AL Sept. 10, 1935. 2,G13,77Q

WARP FRAME HAVING A DEVICE FOR RECHARGING DURING OPERATION Filed Sept.2:5, 1950 T Z 2' fight Q NMJWF i a 8 A M wm mmmfiu c AWJIT m w... F. ii;

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Patented Sept. 10, 1935 MIT WARP FRAME HAVING A DEVICE FOR RECHARGINGnUarNe OPERATION Marcel Stein, Budapest, and Ambrosius Fodor, Ujpest,near Budapest, Hungary, assignors to Universal Winding Gompany, Boston,Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 23, 1930,Serial No. 483,868 In Germany May 28, 1930 6 Claims.

lates more particularly to a creel having a plurality of supply-holdersfor holding cones or other packages of yarn arranged thereon in positionfor delivery of the material and shiftable in multiple to a rechargingstation for re-creeling fresh supplies.

One object of the invention is to provide a creel in which opposite setsof supply-holders are mounted upon an endless conveyor to adapt them tobe moved in unison whereby when the supplies of one set are exhaustedtheir holders may be shifted to a charging station and a Whole set offresh supplies advanced into delivering position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pair of endlessconveyors arranged in opposition on the creel frame whereby the areatherebetween may constitute a charging station for both conveyors toconvenience the operation of recreeling supplies thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the interconnection ofthe endless conveyors of the creel whereby they may be operated from acommon station.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automaticallydoffing the empty yarn carriers or tubes during their advancement fromdelivery position to the charging station without delaying suchadvancement.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for locking theendless conveyors during the delivery of the material and recharging ofthe supply-holders.

Further objects of the invention are, in general, to provide a creelfrom which the yarn, thread or other strand material may be warped ortransferred at maximum speed; in which re-creeling during delivery maybe efficiently carried out; and wherein the supply-holders may besimultaneously advanced by manual control exercised at one point of theframe.

Other objects of the invention are set forth in the followingspecification which describes a preferred and one modified form of theinvention, by way of example, as illustrated by the accompanyingdrawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of a creelconstituting the preferred embodiment .of the invention and showing avertical or columnar disposition of the horizontal carriers for thesupply-holders;

(Cl. 242l31) Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, showing two parallelcolumnar series of supply-holder carriers and common means for actuatingthe same;

Fi 3 is an end view of a modified form of the creel in which thesupply-holders are disposed in 5 rows on vertical carriers adapted to bemoved in a horizontal direction;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a front View of the clamping-device for 10 preventingdisplacement of the supply-holder carriers;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 shows by way of example one form of 15 stripper for removing theempty cone tubes from their holders; and

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the stripper shown in Fig. 7.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, 20

the preferred form of the invention, as herein described andillustrated, comprises a rigid framework i having a pair of spacedvertical uprights at each side connected by a pair of parallel crossmembers secured to the top of the vertical up- 25 rights. To strengthenthe framework vertical stanchions forming a part thereof extend from thefloor to the upper cross members in spaced relation to the end uprightsof the framework. At

the stanchions the framework l supports two ver- 30 tically movableendless conveyors, which may comprise parallel straps or chains 2-2. Theendless conveyors are spaced from each other to provide suflicient areatherebetween for a chargin rows therealong. The supply-holders 9 supportthe yarn supplies which are preferably in the form of crosswound cones,cops or packages l2. These cones of yarn may be wound by any suitablemethod and preferably they are supported on wooden cores or paper tubesprovided with axial bores for receiving the holders 9 which may be inthe form of spindles. It will be understood that the carriers 8 and thesupply-holders 8 on each of the carriers are spaced sufficiently farapart to permit the ready placement of full cones l2 thereon, and thefree and unhampered withdrawal therefrom of the strands to be delivered.

Each of the endless conveyors comprising the parallel chains .2 isdriven from upper and lower horizontal shafts l5 journaled in hearingson the stanchions of the framework l. The chain 2 of the left-handconveyor, as viewed in Fig. 2, passes over sprockets or pulleys 3, whilethe righthand conveyor chain is similarly arranged on spaced wheels orpulleys 4. The carriers 8 are preferably disposed on each conveyor intwo sections or series, one of which sections is adapted to be on theright and the other on the left of the vertical plane of the shafts axeswhereby, when the shafts l5 are rotated in a clockwise di rection asviewed in Fig. 2, the carriers on the left constitute the ascendingflight and those on the right the descending flight of the conveyor.

A chain-wheel or pulley is located on the outer end of each upper shafti5 and an endless flexible transmission member 6, such as a belt orchain, is led therearound to connect the two upper shafts I5-l5 andadapt the two conveyors to be driven in unison. A peripherally grooveddisk or wheel H] is fast on the end of one of the upper shafts 15,preferably that shown at the left inFig. 2, and any flexible endlessdrawing member H such as a rope, belt or chain is suspended in thegroove thereof. The flexible member H is preferably of suflicient lengthto permit it to be grasped by an operator standing on the floor,preferably by a person located at the charging station A, see Fig. 2.

From. the foregoing it will be observed that the operator standing atthe station A, by pulling downwardly on the adjacent length of theflexible member or rope Il, may rotate the disk H shafts l5 and sets ofpulleys or wheels 3, 4 and 5 in a clockwise direction.v Since thecharging station A is between the two conveyors, and they are traveledin the same direction, the charging flight: of one moves in a directionopposite to the charging flight of the other. For instance, as shown inFig. 2, the supply-holders 9 of the lefthand conveyor move downwardlyand those on the right-hand conveyor simultaneously move upwardly inpassing through the charging station A.

Rotatably journaled in any suitable manner on a shiftable axis extendingbetween and preferably parallel with the' upper shafts I5 is a takeuppulley 7 which is provided whereby sufficient tension is maintained onthe flexible transmission member 6 to transmit motion from one shaft tothe other.

Vertical rods l3 are arranged in advance of each vertical row ofsupply-holders 9 adapted to support suitable thread-guides ortension-devices, not herein illustrated, for the yarns delivering fromthe supplies. The rods l3 may be slidably mounted on rollers 14 to adaptthe tension-devices to be adjusted toward or away from thesupply-holders 9.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4 constitutes analternative form of creel which differs from the form first described inthat the carriers 8 for the supply-holders 9 are disposed verticallyandmounted on endless conveyor bands or chains 2 which move in ahorizontal direction for shifting the supplyholders. A pair ofbevel-gears l8, I9 transmit the rotation of the wheel It! to the shafti5. Both ends of the shafts l5 may be arranged to slide at the top andbottom on the framework I by means of rollers l6, H.

To render it convenient to secure the conveyors and carriers 8 in fixedposition on the creel during the charging and unwinding operations, alocking device such as that shown in Figs. 5 and 6 may be used. Only onelocking device is herein shown and described, but it is to be understoodthat several may be used at a plurality of spaced points on the frame.Each locking device includes a pair of vertically-extending bars 2|connected by a cross-yoke 23. The bars 2! extend along the creel-frame,being separated therefrom on each side by a space or channel area 22which receives the T-shaped heads on the ends of the carrier-rods 8. Achannel-shaped bearing bracket 21 is secured on the frame 1 between thebars 2! for receiving the cross-yoke 23. Jaws 24 formed at each end ofthe yoke 23 straddle the sides of the bars 2! and a screw 25 on a handle25 is adapted to be set up against one of the bars to draw the twotogether. By turning the handle 26 the bars 2'! may be clamped againstthe framework i whereby the heads 20 of the carrier-rods 8 will besecured against movement in the channel areas 22. When the conveyors areanchored in this manner the re-creeling of fresh supplies at thecharging station A and the simultaneous delivering of the material fromthe active supplies may take place without chance of displacement of thesupply-holders.

The stripper deviceillustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 serves the purposeof.removing exhausted supplies from the holdersfl as the latter arereturned to the charging station A. Asherein illustrated, the strippercomprises member or plate 28 suitably mounted on a crossrod orangle-iron '39. The plates 28 are spaced along the rods 30 withopenings28 therebetween through which the spindles or supply-holders 9 pass asthe conveyors 8 are traveled on the creelframe. As will be observedby'reference to Fig. 2, a stripper 2B is positioned at one end of eachconveyor so that as the supply-holders 9 are traveledby the conveyorsthe'base-ends of the conetubesor yarn-receivers will ride along theedges of two opposite plates28to' be lifted off from the spindles orholders in themanner illustrated in Fig. 8. In this manner the exhaustedor nearly run out cone, or in other'cases the empty conetube oryarn-receiver, is dofied automatically upon the return of eachsupply-carrier to the charging'station A. Through this provision theoperation of re-creeling fresh supplies is expedited and rendered moreconvenient.

In the operation of the creel one set of. supplyholders'fi carried'byeach'pair of conveyor-chains 2 is fixed in stationary position inopposition to the other set in the charging station A at the center ofthe creel-frame. A supply of cops, cones or other packages of yarn orthe like are placed on these supply-holders or spindles 9 extending inrows along the carrier-rods 8.. The operator then grasps the rope orcord H and pulling down on the lengthnearest the charging station turnsthe wheel or pulley it] in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2,whereby the conveyor-chains 2 will be traveled around'their pulleys orsprocketwheels 3-3 and.4-4; it being understood that the two shafts I5'carrying the pulleys or chainwheels 3 and 4 for the opposite chains areconnected by the belt or chain 6 so that they rotate together.

Under manual operation as above explained the sprockets:or'chain-wheels3 and 4 will be rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2,whereby the conveyor-chains will be traversed thereover with theright-hand length of each chain moving downwardly and the left-handlength moving upwardly. Under this action the full cones on theleft-hand conveyor will be. caran arcuately-shaped ried downwardly andthen upwardly until the whole series of charged supply-holders arebrought into position facing or pointing toward the outside of thecreel-frame. Meanwhile, the right-hand conveyor will traverse thecharged supply-holders upwardly and then downwardly into a correspondingposition with respect to this side of the creel-frame.

The strands from the packages are then drawn off and led through thetension-devices or threadguides supported from the uprights l3 andthence they are carried forwardly or endwise of the creelframe to leadthem to the Warping or other machine in which the material is converted.

While the strands of yarn, thread or other material are being unwoundfrom the cones or other supplies placed in delivering position in themanner as above explained, a fresh set of supplies is placed on thesupply-holders last brought into position in the charging station A.Now, when the yarn is exhausted, or nearly so, from the deliveringsupplies the warping or other operation is arrested and the conveyorsonce more traveled on the creel frame to shift the supply-holders whichhave been charged with fresh cones into position previously occupied bythe first set of cones. The ends are then threaded up and carried to thewarping or other machine so that the transfer operation can be commencedimmediately without delay for creeling the large number of cones orpackages required in the warping or other process.

While the material is being delivered from the new set of suppliesre-creeling takes place at the station A, the operator simply placingfresh cones on the supply-holders or spindles 9.

When the automatic strippers 28 are employed the return of thesupply-holders carrying spent or exhausted cones to re-creeling positionautomatically doffs the empty cone tubes or other yarn receiverstherefrom. The doffing operation is accomplished as the base ends of thecone tubes or yarn-carriers ride around the edges of the arcuatestripper plates 28 to lift them off from the spindles 9 in the manner asillustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawing.

It will be observed from the foregoing that the present improved creelis highly efi'icient in operation as providing for the automatic dofiingof spent cones or other supplies and the re-creeling of fresh supplieswhile the delivery of the yarn or other strand material is progressingfrom previously creeled supplies. The warping or other transferoperation from the creel is therefore practically continuous, withoutrelatively long periods of inaction during the re-creeling operations.That is to say, the warping or other transfer operation is arrested onlyfor a sufiicient interval to transfer the supply-holders with theexhausted cones to the recharging station while they are simultaneouslyreplaced by supply-holders charged with fresh cones and thereafter thetransfer operation may be immediately continued.

It will also be observed that the improved creel is extremely simple inconstruction and method of operation without requiring complication ofautomatic machinery for replacing the exhausted or spent supplies withfresh cones or packages.

While the improved creel is herein illustrated in a preferred form ofconstruction and with one modified form shown, it is to be understoodthat further variations may be made in the structure and arrangement ofthe device without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.Therefore without limiting ourselves in this respect, we claim:

1. In a creel, a frame, spaced groups of carriers arranged on oppositesides of the frame, supplyholders on the carriers, means for reversingthe respective positions of the carrier groups on the frame, and meansfor engaging the spent supplies to doff them from the supply-holdersduring the reversing operation.

2. In a creel, a frame, a supply-holder carrier travelable thereon, aseries of supply-holders 0n the carrier, and a releasable locking-devicefor anchoring the carrier against movement on the frame.

3. In a creel, a frame, a plurality of carriers, supply-holders arrangedin rows on the carriers, stationary strippers on the frame between therows of supply-holders, and means for advancing the carrierssuccessively past the strippers to doff spent supplies from the holders.

4. In a creel, a frame, carriers movable in a predetermined path alongthe frame, supplyholders on the carriers, stationary arcuate platesmounted on the frame in the path of the carriers for dofiing spentsupplies from the supply-holders as the carriers advance, and means formoving the carriers.

5. In a creel, the combination of a frame, an endless conveyor on saidframe, a series of supply-holders connected to be traveled by theconveyor, and a stripper engageable with the yarncarriers held on thesupply-holders to doff them from the holders as the latter are traveledby the conveyor.

6. In a creel, the combination of a frame, endless conveyors mounted totravel across the ends of the frame, carrier-rods connected to theconveyors and extending therebetween on the opposite sides of the frame,supply-holders on the carrier-rods, and strippers stationary on theframe to adapt them to engage the yarn-carriers carried by thesupply-holders to doff the exhausted supplies therefrom as they aretraveled by the carrier-rods.

MARCEL STEIN. AMBROSIUS FODOR.

